Mother's Day Sermon Renmark 11/5/14

Below is an outline of the Mother's day message I brought to Renmark West and Renmark Town Uniting Church on 11/5/14.

-->

Order of Service

Call to Worship:  Geoff Thompson

Hymn: YOU SERVANTS OF GOD,YOUR MASTER PROCLAIM    ABH144

                  

Prayer of confession praise and thanksgiving

Hymn: IN HEAVENLY LOVE ABIDING   AHB504

Bible reading: Acts 2:42-47

Offering and Prayer: Geoff

Hymn: BROTHER LET ME BE YOUR SERVANT  191A  BLUE ALTOGETHER

Bible reading: Psalm 23

Hymn: THE KING OF LOVE MY SHEPHERD IS 

Sermon: Geoff Thompson 

The Christian Mother

  Hymn: There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy  AHB72

Benediction: Because He lives I can face tomorrow.  127

Bible readings

Acts 2   Church is a good place to be!

⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church^[h] daily those who were being saved.

Psalm 23

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Lord the Shepherd of His People

A Psalm of David.

23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell^[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.

SERMON : The Christian Mother there are of course Non Christian mothers but we are largely going to focus on the Christian variety today.

Regardless of their faith or lack of it I believe Mothers are a major gift to the Human race.

Before I start this message today I am aware of course that not all of us have had a positive experience with our mothers.

If there are painful memories or existing situations it is my prayer today that some healing can come in those situations.

So,   

The Christian Mother.

She loves her husband and children totally selflessly and unconditionally.

She corrects but does not scold her children.

She provides comfort when they are sick and tough but caring love when children are misbehaving.

She is a great cook. (One of my daughter in laws is lucky because my son is a qualified chef.)

She always provides nourishing wholesome food and warm clothes.

Knows when to give her kid’s treats without overdoing it.

Never gets upset by her children or husband’s behaviour and never yells at anyone.

She manages the family budget effortlessly.

Gives out pocket money to her kids but just the right amount.

If she is a Christian she is always in prayer for her Kids and family and friends.

Reads stories every night when the kids are young and prays with them before bed.

Attends all school functions and provides endless birthday parties for her kids.

Celebrates every achievement of her Children and makes sure they receive lots of praise but not overdoing it.

Always looks good and well dressed.

And the list goes on and on for the Christian mother.

Now of course this person really does not exist.

All of us whether mothers or fathers fall way short of the ideals that we think we should live up to.

What  I am talking about today we should note, much of it applies to us men as well as the ladies.

As children of mother’s, and who isn’t as my wife reminded me the other day, we all would have  liked to be on the receiving end of such love and devotion when we were young.

And even now.

Probably sometimes a lot of us have been so blessed for much of this to have happened.

I have a wonderful mother who if you talk to her I can never do any  wrong.

It does get embarrassing sometimes because I know the real me.

But my Mum has always tried to live up to some of these but I don’t recall any discipline whatsoever.

(My Dad did though.)

Never a cross word.

Thoroughly spoilt by my mum.

Now if we have had the ideal mother experience you would think we would all be well adjusted people, successful, high self esteem, leaders in our community etc.

But this is not so is it?

Some of us a younger people exasperated our mothers beyond belief.

However I have seen some mothers fall a bit short sometimes.

Just a note here about that.

I learnt once that just because we have discerned or become aware of where a Christian brother or sister is failing as a Christian, it is not ours to criticize or condemn but to intercede in prayer on their behalf.

I learnt once that just because we have discerned or become aware of where a Christian brother or sister is failing as a Christian, it is not ours to criticize or condemn but to intercede in prayer on their behalf.

If we are not well adjusted wonderful people  does it imply we have been let down in our childhood?

Most of us would probably know the passage that says “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Many,  surprisingly,   kids that is,   do actually grow up and mature and become wonderful rounded people.

Some have broken their mother’s hearts.

There are many situations or types of mothers that cover just about all that’s good about human beings and some that’s not so good.

Consider the mum, the young mum, who many years ago was pressured to have her new born baby adopted out barely having even held the child at childbirth.

Imagine the years of heartache that young mum may have had to endure.

Sometimes there have been happy endings where child and real mother have been re united years later.

Consider the would be  mum who has never been able to have a child.

This can cause much anguish.

Consider the mums and their children where the mother has severe health problems and sometimes serious substance abuse addictions who have not provided or been capable of giving the love and care their children needed.

Consider the children of such mums who grow up feeling bitterness because of this and who have been unable or unwilling to forgive.

Consider the impact of an overprotective mother or parents.

When Lesley and I first became Christians we had the privilege as young people having many in the congregation who were much older and had been Christians a long time.

One dear lady we called Aunty Rube. Ruby was her name.

I would often see her out the front of the Church and ask her how she was.

She always gave me one of 2 stock answers.

“a lot better now that I have seen you”

or “I’ve seen a lot of good times but never had any!”

She was probably in her 80’s about them.

Did not have a husband and did not have any children.

One night I dropped her at her place after she attended a Bible study at our house.

She told me something of her life story that nigt.

She told me that as a young person she had very strict, controlling parents.

That she was never allowed to go to dances or on dates or parties or just about anything right into her 20’s.

Was not allowed to wear fashionable clothes or makeup.

She eventually broke free from that rigid situation and met a man and fell in love and they married.

She was still quite young and had only been married a few months when he was struck down by a tram.

He never recovered and for some time she nursed him and looked after him until he died.

In talking to her though you did not detect any bitterness in her manner.

Hopefully she had learnt the secret of forgiveness and trust in our Lord no matter what.

In knowing her I believe that was the case.

Sadly there are many today who have not been able to see that if they hang on to bitterness coming out of situations in families similar to that, then they will never know freedom in their lives and peace in their hearts.

Jesus does not ask us to “forgive others our trespasses as we would forgive them” just to be a  spoil sport.

It is for our own freedom and well being as well as restoring fellowship where possible with the one who has hurt us.

On another occasion we were celebrating mother’s day at Church as we are today.

Members of the congregation were encouraged to speak up during the service about what their mothers had meant to them.

A few did so and then one dear older lady got up and said quite deliberately and forcefully.

“ I never knew my mother. I never met her. But over all these years Jesus has been my mother!”

This lady was a very dynamic Christian lady.

We had some gems.

There was Mrs Angel.   Angel by name and by nature.

She was still coming to church at age 100 and used to do voluntary work at a nursing home help “feeding the old dears”  many probably 20 years younger than her.

I am sure you have had over the years and still do many fine mothers and those without children who have been faithful servants of their Lord in this place and this town and further afield.

The theme in the Bible readings and suggested worship helps today has been about fellowship, nurturing, shepherding, community, sharing with each other in a faith community.

I did not venture directly into them but chose to do so by way of considering the impact our mothers have had on us and the impact those of us as mothers have had on others.

There is no perfect Christian Family this side of Heaven but the Christian Family has within it one thing the non Christian Family does not.(Bearing in mind that the family was God’s idea in the first place.)

The ability through  the person of our Lord Jesus Christ to recover from the darkest places.

To know renewal and restoration.

So lets go on our way today determined to love our mothers more,

To forgive them possibly where we have hung onto some bitterness, even though they might have passed on, where they are alive to make our peace,

and  to decide as mothers to never give up on our families

 and love them unconditionally with the Love of God.

And if we are a mother or anybody who is really struggling with something today

to take some steps towards Jesus and His healing touch.

Maybe  share your plight with a trusted Christian friend.